21 December 2009

The details in a place as old as the Old Town Bar pile up over the decades. You can visit regularly and not notice everything on the walls, ceiling and floor.

Recently, I was having a burger at the Old Town, taking a side table with a fine view of the old wooden phone booth, when I noticed a series of doorbell-like buttons along the chair rail. What the hell? I pressed one. Nothing happened, at least nothing I could see or hear.

I asked the waitress about the buttons. She said they once worked, and they were used by customers to get the attention of the wait staff. The wiring broke years ago. Who would have thought service was once so civilized at the ancient tavern?

I remember when I was growing New Garden Chinese Restaurant that used to be on the corner of Meserole and Manhattan Avenues in Greenpoint, Brooklyn had these buttons at there booths. I always had the temptation to press one when we ate there. But the one eyed waiter always scared me. LoL

The original, running Jeremiad on the vestiges of Old New York as they are steamrolled under or threatened by the currently ruthless real estate market and the City Fathers' disregard for Gotham's historical and cultural fabric. Est. January 2006.Contact Me

About Me

I have lived in New York City since 1988 and earn my bread as a writer. I began this blog in January 2006. Beyond that, don't be so nosy.
"I am not a pessimist; to perceive evil where it exists is, in my opinion, a form of optimism."
—Roberto Rossellini